The Escondido Cougars will challenge the Vista Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Escondido 3.5, Vista 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Escondido heads in on the heels of a playoff matchup on Wednesday. They took an 8-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of Mission Bay. The Cougars' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Makaih Gonzalez made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.
Meanwhile, Vista has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 4.04 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Wednesday. They came up short against Calexico, falling 12-2. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Panthers couldn't push the score so high this time.
Vista saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brandyn Ketcher, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Vista's loss was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 18-10. As for Escondido, their defeat dropped their record down to 20-8.
Escondido's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's game. The Cougars have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Vista, though, as they've been averaging only 0.7 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Escondido continue to outrun the ball?
Escondido couldn't quite get it done against Vista in their previous matchup back in March as they fell 8-3. Will the Cougars have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
